Statements of Operations

Statements of Cash Flows

Statements of Cash Flows (cont.)

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, included in this prospectus.

Overview

We focus on the design, assembly, manufacturing and sales of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries and supporting accessories for RV’s and marine applications with plans to expand into home energy storage products and industrial applications. We design, assemble, manufacture, and distribute high-powered, lithium battery solutions using ground-breaking concepts from a creative sales and marketing approach. Our product-offerings include some of the most dense and minimal-footprint batteries in the RV & Marine industry. We are developing the e360 Home Energy Storage: a system that we expect to significantly change the industry in barrier price, flexibility, and integration. We are deploying multiple IP strategies with cutting-edge research, manufacturing processes, and unique products to sustain and scale the business. We currently have over 175 customers consisting of dealers, wholesalers, and original equipment manufacturers who are driving revenue and brand awareness nationally.

Our corporate headquarters are based in Redmond, Oregon, with assembly in the United States and suppliers based in Asia. We are currently in the process of building out manufacturing capacity at our corporate headquarters. Our long-term target is to onshore the manufacturing of most of our components and assemblies, including cell manufacturing, to the United States.

Our main target markets are the RV & Marine industry. We believe that we are currently well positioned to capitalize off of the rapid market conversion from lead-acid to lithium batteries as the primary method of power sourcing in these industries. Additional focus markets include home energy, where we aim to provide a cost-effective, low barrier of entry, and a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) flexible system for those looking to power their homes via solar energy, wind, or grid back-up. Along with RV/Marine and home energy storage markets, we aim to provide additional capacities to the ever-expanding, electric forklift and industrial material handling markets.

Expion360’s VPR 4EVER product line, which is designed for the RV/Marine industry, was launched in December 2020. The VPR 4EVER product line, through its rapid sales growth, has shown to be a preferred conversion solution for lead-acid batteries. We believe that our e360 Home Energy Storage system has strong revenue potential with recurring income opportunities for us and our associated sales partners.

Our products provide numerous advantages for various industries that are looking to migrate to lithium-based energy storage. They incorporate, detailed-oriented design, engineering and manufacturing, and strong case materials and internal and structural layouts, and are backed by responsive customer service.

Expion360 sees lithium as the element of choice to displace the multi-billion dollar market for antiquated lead-acid batteries (which are using technology initially developed in 1860). Lithium technology offers power-to-weight advantages, increased life cycles, higher performance ratios, better hot-and-cold weather characteristics, zero maintenance, and more.

Recent Developments

In November 2021, the Company entered into two new facility leases that became effective in January 2022 and February 2022. The Company recognized additional lease liability of 2,348,508, representing the present value of the lease payments discounted using effective interest rates between 8.07% and 8.86%, and a corresponding right-of-use asset of $2,348,508. 

Key Line Item Descriptions

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenue is generated from the sale of products consisting primarily of batteries and accessories. The Company recognizes revenue when control of goods or services is transferred to its customers in an amount that reflects the consideration it is expected to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligation(s) in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligation(s) in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the performance obligation(s) are satisfied. Revenue is recognized upon shipment or delivery to the customer as that is when the customer obtains control of the promised goods and the Company’s performance obligation is considered satisfied. As such, accounts receivable is recorded at the time of shipment or will call, when the Company’s right to the consideration becomes unconditional and the Company determines there are no uncertainties regarding payment terms or transfer of control.

Cost of Sales

Our primary cost of sales is related to our direct product and landing costs. Direct labor costs consist of payroll costs (including taxes and benefits) of employees directly engaged in assembly activities. Overhead consists primarily of warehouse rent and utilities. The costs can increase or decrease based on costs of product and assembly parts, purchased at market pricing, customer supply requirements, and the amount of labor required to assemble a product, along with the allocation of fixed overhead.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses consist primarily of salaries, benefits, and sales and marketing costs. Other costs include facility and related costs such as professional fees and other legal expenses, consulting, tax and accounting services, insurance, and IT systems.

A significant portion of our sales and marketing costs will include marketing and sales materials used to promote and sell our products and business development. A significant portion of our general and administrative costs will include costs related to accounting, audit, legal, regulatory, and tax-related services required for us to maintain compliance with exchange listing and SEC regulations, director and officer insurance costs, and investor and public relations costs.

Interest and Other Income, net

Interest expense consists of interest costs on various member promissory notes at a fixed rate of 10% per annum, interest payable monthly, working capital loans with interest rates ranging from 10% to 15% per annum, interest payable monthly; an SBA loan at 3.75% per annum, principal and interest paid monthly; various vehicle and equipment loans with interest rates ranging from 5.45% to 11.21% per annum, principal and interest payable monthly; accrued interest on convertible notes at interest rates ranging from 6% to 10% (all converted in 2021); interest on senior secured notes at a fixed rate of 15% per annum, of which 10% is payable monthly and 5% is deferred until maturity; and amortization of debt discount on convertible notes.

In December 2020 and January 2021, under two separate agreements, Reliant Funding purchased a 50% interest in our future revenues for a total purchase price of $250,000. Pursuant to the agreement, we will repay a total purchase price of $349,750, the difference of which is amortized as interest expense at an effective interest rate of 71%.

Provision for Income Taxes

Until November 2021, the Company was a limited liability company taxed as a Subchapter S corporation and was not a taxpaying entity for federal income tax purposes. The Company’s taxable income or losses were allocated to its members in accordance with their respective ownership percentages. Therefore, no provision or liability for federal income taxes has been included in the accompanying historical financial statements. Certain states impose minimum franchise taxes on entities taxed as an S corporation, accordingly, the accompanying financial statements include provisions for state franchise tax fees.

Effective November 1, 2021, the Company converted from an LLC to a C corporation and, as a result, became subject to corporate federal and state income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets, including tax loss and credit carryforwards, and liabilities are measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Deferred income tax expense represents the change during the period in the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

The Company has adopted the provisions in ASC 740, Income Taxes, related to accounting for uncertain tax positions. It requires that the Company recognize the impact of a tax position in the financial statements if the position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination and on the technical merits of the position. Management has concluded that there were no material unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

The Company’s practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. The Company had no accrual for interest or penalties on the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2021 or 2020 and did not recognize interest and/or penalties in the statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, since there are no material unrecognized tax benefits. Management believes no material change to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will occur within the next twelve months.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements.

Year Ended December 31, 2021, Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2020

Sales, net

Sales, net for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased by $2,945,763 or 187.4% compared to the year ended December 31, 2020, from $1,571,736 for year ended December 31, 2020, to $4,517,499 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The year over year increase was primarily attributable to the launch of our six new battery products from around November 2020.

Cost of Sales

Total cost of sales was $2,871,770 for the year ended December 31, 2021, and $1,268,769 for the year ended December 31, 2020. From 2020 to 2021, cost of sales increased by $1,603,001 or 126.3%, primarily attributable to expansion of our sales in line with the launch of our six new battery products from around November 2020 and an increase in warehousing costs and labor as we transitioned to a new product line and expanded warehousing capacity to support growth. Cost of sales did not increase by as significant a percentage as sales, net from 2020 to 2021, due to increased efficiencies from our expanded scale of operations.

Gross Profit

As a result of the foregoing, we were able to improve margins through sales growth and our gross profit increased from $302,967 for the year ended December 31, 2020, to $1,645,729 for the year ended December 31, 2021, or by 443.2%.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased by $1,852,227, or 175.3%, to $2,909,085 for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $1,056,858 for the year ended December 31, 2020, due to increased costs to support our growth in sales and corporate development and costs incurred in preparation for this offering. The most substantial increases were in salaries and benefits, legal and professional services (primarily in relation to preparations for this offering), sales and marketing, and rents and utilities.

Presented in the table below is the composition of selling, general and administrative expenses:

Other (Income) Expense

Our other expenses increased from $120,610 for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $3,448,202 for the year ended December 31, 2021, or by 2,759.0%, which was primarily attributable to an extinguishment loss on debt settlement of $2,791,087, an increase in interest expense, from $196,887 for the year ended December 31, 2020 to $554,044 for the year ended December 31, 2021, which was due to an increase in our borrowings, an increase in the applicable interest rates of new borrowings and amortization of debt discount. Additionally, in 2021, we recorded $112,133 in debt conversion expense.

The extinguishment of debt was related to settlement on convertible notes issued in 2021. The noteholders agreed to settle the debt for an aggregate 1,527,647 shares of common stock with a fair value of $5,545,359 ($3.63 per share). Since this transaction involved contemporaneous issuance of shares of common stock by the Company to the converting noteholders, we evaluated the transaction for modification and extinguishment accounting and determined that the debt was extinguished as a result of the issuance of shares that do not represent the exercise of a conversion right contained in the original terms of the notes at issuance. The settlement of the debt resulted in a recognized loss of $2,262,658 recorded as extinguishment loss on debt settlement on the accompanying statements of operations, calculated as the excess of the fair value of the shares issued over the carrying amount of the debt. In addition, the fair value of warrants of $407,700 issued in exchange for services related to obtain the notes (see Note 21 – Warrants/Options) and the unamortized portion of debt discount remaining at date of settlement of $120,729 were also recorded as extinguishment loss on debt settlement for an aggregate loss of $2,791,087 on the accompanying statements of operations.

Net Loss

We had a net loss of $4,720,858 for the year ended December 31, 2021, as compared to a net loss of $876,480 for the year ended December 31, 2020, an increase of 438.6%, which was primarily due to increased other expense, selling, general and administrative expenses and increased cost of sales.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Our operations have been financed primarily through net proceeds from the sale of securities and from borrowings. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, we had cash and cash equivalents of $773,237 and $290,675, respectively.

Short-term liquidity requirements¹

We generally consider our short-term liquidity requirements to consist of those items that are expected to be incurred within the next twelve months and believe those requirements to consist primarily of funds necessary to pay operating expenses, interest and principal payments on our debt, and capital expenditures related to assembly line expansion.

As of December 31, 2021, we expect our short-term liquidity requirements to include (a) approximately $450,000 to $950,000 of capital additions; (b) scheduled debt service payments under our working capital loans and other borrowing programs of approximately $2,540,000, including interest of $240,000; and (c) lease obligation payments of $218,788.

Long-term liquidity requirements

We generally consider our long-term liquidity requirements to consist of those items that are expected to be incurred beyond the next twelve months and believe these requirements consist primarily of funds necessary for eighteen months.

Based on our current business plan, we believe that cash flows from operations, together with the proceeds from this offering will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for working capital, capital expenditures, and debt service for the next eighteen months. Our ability to make scheduled principal and interest payments, or to refinance our indebtedness, or to fund planned capital expenditures, will depend on future performance, which is subject to general economic conditions, the competitive environment and other factors, including those outlined in the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus. If our estimates of revenues, expenses, capital or liquidity requirements change or are inadequate to support our growth or if cash generated from operations is insufficient to satisfy our liquidity requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity and/or arrange additional debt financing. We may also seek to raise additional equity and/or arrange debt financing to give us the financial flexibility to pursue attractive opportunities that may arise in the future. 

Cash Flows

The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented:

Operating Activities

Our largest source of operating cash is cash collection from sales of our products. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities are for increases in inventory purchases and increases in accounts receivable. In the last several years, we have generated negative cash flows from operating activities and have supplemented working capital requirements through net proceeds from the sales of membership interests/common stock and convertible notes and incurrence of indebtedness.

Net cash used in operating activities of $3,896,830 for the year ended December 31, 2021, reflects our net loss of $4,720,858 and increases in inventory of $2,411,635 and accounts receivable of $566,435, which was partially offset by increases in non-cash activities including extinguishment of debt, debt conversion expense, and stock based compensation totaling 3,208,908, accrued expenses and other current liabilities of $494,553.

Net cash used in operating activities of $1,122,593 for the year ended December 31, 2020, reflects our net loss of $876,480, and increases in accounts receivable of $176,600 and inventory of $179,142. These increases were partially offset by a $58,000 increase in liability for refunds estimated for returns.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities of $113,394 for the year ended December 31, 2021, consisted entirely of purchases of property and equipment.

Net cash used in investing activities of $36,751 for the year ended December 31, 2020, consisted of purchases of property and equipment of $38,426 as partially offset by $1,675 for proceeds from disposal of property and equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities of $4,493,087 for the year ended December 31, 2021, consisted of $4,166,000 net proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and long-term debt, proceeds of proceeds of $838,400 from the issuance of membership units/common stock, and proceeds of $125,000 on sale of future revenues. This was partially offset by payments on debt and liability of future revenues of $636,313.

Net cash provided by financing activities of $1,310,509 for the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily consisted of $777,426 net borrowings on line of credit and short-term revolving loans, $270,000 proceeds from issuance of convertible notes and $150,000 proceeds from issuance of long-term debt.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The above discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations is based upon our financial statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 of the accompanying financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020. Critical accounting policies are those that we consider to be the most important in portraying our financial condition and results of operations and also require the greatest number of judgments by management. Judgments or uncertainties regarding the application of these policies may result in materially different amounts being reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. We consider the following policies to be the most critical in understanding the judgments that are involved in preparing the financial statements.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets consist primarily of property and equipment. When events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of a long-lived asset may be impaired, the Company estimates the future undiscounted cash flows to be derived from the use and eventual disposition of the asset to assess whether or not a potential impairment exists. If the carrying value exceeds the estimate of future undiscounted cash flows, the impairment is calculated as the excess of the carrying value of the asset over the estimate of its fair value. Fair value is determined primarily using the estimated cash flows discounted at a rate commensurate with the risk involved. No long-lived asset impairment was recognized during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less depreciation calculated on the straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of the related assets as follows:

Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term or their estimated useful lives. Betterments, renewals and extraordinary repairs that extend the lives of the assets are capitalized; other repairs and maintenance charges are expensed as incurred. The cost and related accumulated depreciation and amortization applicable to assets retired are removed from the accounts, and the gain or loss on disposition is recognized in the Statements of Operations.

Leases

The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset during the lease term, and operating lease liabilities represent the Company’s obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating leases are included in ROU assets, current operating lease liabilities, and long-term operating lease liabilities on the Company’s balance sheets. The Company does not have any finance leases.

Lease ROU assets and lease liabilities are initially recognized based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term at commencement date calculated using the Company’s incremental borrowing rate applicable to the lease asset, unless the implicit rate is readily determinable. ROU assets also include any lease payments made at or before lease commencement and exclude any lease incentives received. The Company’s lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that the Company will exercise that option. Leases with a term of 12 months or less are not recognized on the Company’s balance sheet. The Company’s leases do not contain any residual value guarantees. Lease expense for minimum lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

The Company accounts for lease and non-lease components as a single lease component for all its leases.

Product Warranties

The Company sells the majority of its products to customers along with unconditional repair or replacement warranties. The Company’s branded DC mobile chargers are warranted for two years from date of sale and its branded VPR 4EVER Classic and Platinum batteries are warrantied at gradually lesser levels over a twelve-year period from date of sale. The Company determines its estimated liability for warranty claims based on the Company’s experience of the amount of claims actually made. Management estimates no liability as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 because, historically, there have been very few claims and costs for repairs or replacement parts have been nominal. It is reasonably possible that the Company’s estimate of a liability for product liability claims will change in the near term.

Liability for Refunds

The Company does not have a formal return policy but does accept returns under its warranty policies. Returns have historically been minimal. However, during 2020 the Company sold discontinued products and recorded a liability for refunds. As of December 31, 2020, the liability totaled $58,000. Revenue is recorded net of this amount. Any returns of discontinued product are not added back to inventory and therefore related costs are nominal and not recorded as an asset. As of December 31, 2021, all allowable discontinued product had been returned and the Company has no further refund liability.

Revenue Recognition

The Company’s revenue is generated from the sale of products consisting primarily of batteries and accessories. The Company recognizes revenue when control of goods or services is transferred to its customers in an amount that reflects the consideration it is expected to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. To determine revenue recognition, the Company performs the following five steps: (i) identify the contract(s) with a customer; (ii) identify the performance obligation(s) in the contract; (iii) determine the transaction price; (iv) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligation(s) in the contract; and (v) recognize revenue when (or as) the performance obligation(s) are satisfied. Revenue is recognized upon shipment or delivery to the customer as that is when the customer obtains control of the promised goods and the Company’s performance obligation is considered satisfied. As such, accounts receivable is recorded at the time of shipment or will call, when the Company’s right to the consideration becomes unconditional and the Company determines there are no uncertainties regarding payment terms or transfer of control.

Concentration of Major Customers

Customers are considered major customers when net revenue exceeds 10% of total revenue for the period or outstanding receivable balances exceed 10% of total receivables.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, sales to one customer totaled $488,860 comprising approximately 11% of total sales. There were no accounts receivable from this customer as of December 31, 2021, however, amounts due from three other customers totaled $324,844, $229,068, and $104,405, respectively, representing approximately 85% of total accounts receivable at December 31, 2021.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, sales to four customers individually totaled $273,102, $250,142, $221,726, and $186,897, and $931,867 in the aggregate, comprising in aggregate approximately 57% of our total sales. Amounts due from these customers totaled $45,004, $28,333, $48,390, and $33,906, respectively, representing approximately 69% of total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2020.

Shipping and Handling Costs

Shipping and handling fees billed to customers are classified on the Statement of Operations as “Sales, net” and totaled $25,688 and $1,513 for 2021 and 2020, respectively. Shipping and handling costs for shipping product to customers totaled $102,653 and $54,664 for 2021 and 2020, respectively, and are classified in selling, general, and administrative expense in the accompanying Statements of Operations.

Advertising and Marketing Costs

The Company expenses advertising and marketing costs as incurred. Advertising and marketing expense totaled $67,394 and $84,178 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and is included in selling, general, and administrative expense in the accompanying Statements of Operations.

Research and Development

Research and development costs are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs charged to expense amounted to $58,044 and $126,218 for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and are included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying Statements of Operations.

Income Taxes

Until November 2021, the Company was a limited liability company taxed as a Subchapter S corporation and was not a taxpaying entity for federal income tax purposes. The Company’s taxable income or losses were allocated to its members in accordance with their respective ownership percentage. Therefore, no provision or liability for federal income taxes has been included in the accompanying historical financial statements. Certain states impose minimum franchise taxes on entities taxed as an S corporation, accordingly, the accompanying financial statements include provisions for state franchise tax fees.

The Company has adopted the provisions in ASC 740, Income Taxes, related to accounting for uncertain tax positions. It requires that the Company recognize the impact of a tax position in the financial statements if the position is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination and on the technical merits of the position. Management has concluded that there were no material unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2021 or 2020.

The Company’s practice is to recognize interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense. The Company had no accrual for interest or penalties on the Company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2021 and 2020 and has not recognized interest and/or penalties in the statement of operations for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, since there are no material unrecognized tax benefits. Management believes no material change to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will occur within the next twelve months.

On March 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The Cares Act is an emergency economic stimulus package that includes spending and tax breaks to strengthen the United States economy and fund a nationwide effort to curtail the effect of COVID-19. The CARES Act provides sweeping tax changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the more significant provisions are removal of certain limitations on utilization of net operating losses, increasing the loss carryback period for certain losses to five years, and increasing the ability to deduct interest expense, as well as amending certain provisions of the previously enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. At December 31, 2021, the Company had not recorded any income tax provision/(benefit) resulting from the CARES Act mainly due the Company’s history of net operating losses generated and the maintenance of a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets.

On December 27, 2020, the United States enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (“CAA”). The CAA includes provisions extending certain CARES Act provisions and adds coronavirus relief, tax, and health extenders. The Company will continue to evaluate the impact of the CAA and its impact on its financial statements in 2022 and beyond.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company accounts for its financial assets and liabilities in accordance with ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement. ASC Topic 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value, as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that are accessible at the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to Level 1 inputs.

Level 2: Observable prices that are based on inputs not quoted on active markets but corroborated by market data. These inputs include quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted market prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3: Unobservable inputs are used when little or no market data is available. The fair value hierarchy gives the lowest priority to Level 3 inputs. In determining fair value, we utilize valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs to the extent possible, as well as consider counterparty credit risk in the assessment of fair value.

The Company’s financial instruments consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, short-term revolving loans, shareholder promissory notes, and notes payable. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, short-term revolving loans approximates their respective carrying values because of the short-term nature of those instruments. The fair value of the shareholder promissory notes and notes payable approximates their respective carrying values because the interest rate approximates market rates available to the Company for similar obligations with the same maturities.

Segment Reporting

We currently operate in one reportable segment and our Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity. Under ASU 2020-06, the embedded conversion features are no longer separated from the host contract for convertible instruments with conversion features that are not required to be accounted for as derivatives under Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or that do not result in substantial premiums accounted for as paid-in capital. Consequently, a convertible debt instrument will be accounted for as a single liability measured at its amortized cost, as long as no other features require bifurcation and recognition as derivatives. Similarly, equity-classified convertible preferred stock instruments will be accounted for as single units of account in equity unless the conversion feature needs to be bifurcated under Topic 815. The new guidance also made amendments to the earnings per share guidance in Topic 260, Earnings Per Share, for convertible instruments, the most significant impact of which is requiring the use of the if-converted method for diluted earnings per share calculation. Further, ASU 2020-06 made revisions to Subtopic 815-40, which provides guidance on how an entity must determine whether a contract qualifies for a scope exception from derivative accounting. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, with early adoption permitted. Adoption of the standard requires using either a modified retrospective or a full retrospective approach. Effective January 1, 2021, the Company early adopted ASU 2020-06 using the modified retrospective approach. Adoption of the new standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements or disclosures.

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-01, Investments—Equity Securities (Topic 321), Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures (Topic 323), and Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Clarifying the Interactions between Topic 321, Topic 323, and Topic 815. The new guidance clarifies the interaction of accounting for the transition into and out of the equity method and the accounting for measuring certain purchased options and forward contracts to acquire investments. ASU 2020-01 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, including interim periods within those fiscal years. We adopted this guidance on January 1, 2021. The adoption of this guidance did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements or disclosures. Effective January 1, 2019, the Company adopted the new lease accounting guidance in ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), as amended. See Note 12 Commitments and Contingencies.

Accounting Guidance Issued but Not Yet Adopted

In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-08, “Business Combinations (Topic 805): Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers.” ASU 2021-08 requires contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination to be recognized and measured in accordance with Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, on the acquisition date as if the acquirer had entered into the original contract at the same date and on the same terms as the acquiree. ASU 2021-08 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years for public business entities. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on our financial statements.

In May 2021, the FASB issued ASU 2021-04, “Earnings Per Share (Topic 260), Debt — Modifications and Extinguishments (Subtopic 470-50), Compensation — Stock Compensation (Topic 718), and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Issuer’s Accounting for Certain Modifications or Exchanges of Freestanding Equity-Classified Written Call Options (a consensus of the Emerging Issues Task Force).” ASU 2021-04 requires issuers to account for modifications or exchanges of freestanding equity-classified written call options that remain equity classified after the modification or exchange based on the economic substance of the modification or exchange. Under the guidance, an issuer determines the accounting for the modification or exchange based on whether the transaction was done to issue equity, to issue or modify debt, or for other reasons. ASU 2021-04 is applied prospectively and is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this standard on our financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. This ASU replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information for credit loss estimates on certain types of financial instruments, including trade receivables. In addition, new disclosures are required. The ASU, as subsequently amended, is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting this guidance.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

As a smaller reporting company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act), we are not required to provide the information called for by Item 304 of Regulation S-K.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The required financial statements and the notes thereto appear at the end of this prospectus beginning on page F-1.

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

Our Company

We focus on the design, assembly, manufacturing and sales of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries and supporting accessories for RV’s and marine applications with plans to expand into home energy storage products and industrial applications. We design, assemble, manufacture, and distribute high-powered, lithium battery solutions using ground-breaking concepts from a creative sales and marketing approach. Our product-offerings include some of the most dense and minimal-footprint batteries in the RV & Marine industry. We are developing the e360 Home Energy Storage: a system that we expect to significantly change the industry in barrier price, flexibility, and integration. We are deploying multiple IP strategies with cutting-edge research, manufacturing processes, and unique products to sustain and scale the business. We currently have over 175 customers consisting of dealers, wholesalers, and original equipment manufacturers who are driving revenue and brand awareness nationally.

Our corporate headquarters are based in Redmond, Oregon, with assembly in the United States and suppliers based in Asia. We are currently in the process of building out manufacturing capacity at our corporate headquarters. Our long-term target is to onshore the manufacturing of most of our components and assemblies, including cell manufacturing, to the United States.

Our main target markets are the RV & Marine industry. We believe that we are currently well positioned to capitalize off of the rapid market conversion from lead-acid to lithium batteries as the primary method of power sourcing in these industries. Additional focus markets include home energy, where we aim to provide a cost-effective, low barrier of entry, and a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) flexible system for those looking to power their homes via solar energy, wind, or grid back-up. Along with RV/Marine and home energy storage markets, we aim to provide additional capacities to the ever-expanding, electric forklift and industrial material handling markets.

Expion360’s VPR 4EVER product line, which is designed for the RV/Marine industry, was launched in December 2020. The VPR 4EVER product line, through its rapid sales growth, has shown to be a preferred conversion solution for lead-acid batteries. We believe that our e360 Home Energy Storage system has strong revenue potential with recurring income opportunities for us and our associated sales partners.

Our products provide numerous advantages for various industries that are looking to migrate to lithium-based energy storage. They incorporate, detailed-oriented design, engineering and manufacturing, and strong case materials and internal and structural layouts, and are backed by responsive customer service. 

Expion360 sees lithium as the element of choice to displace the multi-billion dollar market for antiquated lead-acid batteries (which are using technology initially developed in 1860). Lithium technology offers power-to-weight advantages, increased life cycles, higher performance ratios, better hot-and-cold weather characteristics, zero maintenance, and more.

Management Team

John Yozamp – CEO and Head of Global Sales. John has been our CEO since inception in June 2016. John boasts over 30 years of sales and marketing experience, of which includes 24 years of product concept, development and manufacturing. John was recognized in the HDTV’s “Best New Idea” at the 2008 Chicago Hardware Show. In 2008, John supported the #1 item sold at the Sam’s club individual road show. Just prior to launching Expion360, John was founder, owner, and operator of the largest solar manufacturing company (Zamp solar) in the US focusing on the RV and off grid markets.  

Paul Shoun – Chief Operating Officer.  Paul has been our Chief Operating Office since March 2020. Paul brings over 30 years of engineering experience, with over 17 years managing a corporate consulting firm. He brings extensive expertise in Project management, product development, engineering leadership, business accounting, ERP/CRM system management, and product marketing. Notable clients include Chrysler, Boeing, Nike IHM, Intel, and Daimler Trucks North America.  

Brian Schaffner – Chief Financial Officer. Brian has served as our Chief Financial Officer, beginning in March 2021. He is a seasoned executive having served over the past three decades in a variety of capacities including CEO, CFO, CIO and controller in senior-living, assisted-living, skilled nursing facilities and retail stores. Brian’s instructional experience includes the secondary and university levels with courses including accounting, management, personal finance, welding, auto mechanics and aviation ground school. Brian graduated from Walla Walla College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting in 1992, and from the University of Phoenix with a Masters in Business Administration in 1997.

Our Market Opportunity

The trend of vehicle electrification is expected to be a significant growth catalyst for lithium compounds over the next decade and beyond. According to a recent report from Allied Market Research Group, the global electric vehicle market was valued at $162.34 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $802.81 billion by 2027, a CAGR of 22.6%. The North American electric vehicle market was projected to reach $194.20 billion by 2027, a CAGR of 27.5%.

Furthermore, the North American recreational vehicle (RV) market was estimated at roughly $26.7 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow at a 5% CAGR, approaching $35.7 billion by 2026 according to Mordor Intelligence. There are almost 400 national chain RV dealers in the United States according to Mordor Intelligence, further exemplifying the robust market for these vehicles. In addition, according to Mordor Intelligence, the global recreational boating market was valued at $26.0 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $35.0 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2020 to 2026.

At the intersection of both these trends lies the rapidly expanding lithium battery market. The market for lithium-ion batteries is expected to grow at 12.3% CAGR between 2021 and 2030, from roughly $41.1 billion to $116.6 billion according to a report by Markets and Markets. The vast expansion of the lithium battery market can be attributed to global trends promoting clean energy, as well as the compact and flexible nature of lithium battery packs which make them easy to install in RV’s and boats. Our technology, which we believe offers industry leading battery pack flexibility for the most efficient energy storage, is poised to be able to offer power to these large vehicles such as RV’s and recreational boats.

Expion360 is focused on expanding its position in the deep cycle, off-grid and stationary energy storage markets. We believe that our products and vision align perfectly with the Biden Administration’s “National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries”.

The Biden Administration has laid out a bold agenda to address the climate crisis and build a clean and equitable energy economy that achieves carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035 and puts the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide. We believe this government support will continue to drive rapid growth in the industry.

Lithium-based batteries power our daily lives, from consumer electronics to national defense. They enable electrification of the transportation sector and provide stationary grid storage, critical to developing the clean-energy economy. The U.S. has a strong research community.

Competitive Strengths

We believe the following strengths differentiate Expion360 and create long-term, sustainable competitive advantages.

Superior Capacity to Lead Acid Competitors

Lead-acid batteries have traditionally been the standard in the RV and marine industries. Our lithium-ion batteries offer superior capacity to our lead-acid competitors. Our batteries utilize lithium-iron phosphate, and therefore, have an expected lifespan of 12 years — three to four times that of certain lead-acid batteries and with ten times the number of charging cycles. Furthermore, our typical battery provides three times the power of the typical, lead-acid battery despite being half the weight (comparing, for example, a typical lead-acid battery like Renogy Deep Cycle AGM, which is rated at 100Ah, to our own LFP 100Ah battery and assuming slow discharge at a .1C rate).

Battery Pack Flexibility

Our battery packs are also highly flexible, designed to be moved and used in various applications seamlessly. We plan to onshore our semi-automated pack assembly in Redmond, Oregon beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022. This should allow us to use a more flexible approach to forming and creating new battery packs. By onshoring, we expect to be able to react to market demands at a much quicker pace and increase profit levels over our competition.

Strong National Retail Customers

We have a national presence with several large retail customers, such as Camping World.

Long-time RV and Marine Industry Experience and Relationship

John Yozamp, Founder of Expion360, pioneered multiple new recreational concepts in the RV industry. As the previous founder and owner of Zamp Solar, he has extensive relationships in the RV OEM industry.

Strong Insider Ownership

Expion360 is owned and managed by a team with a strong track record in the RV and clean energy spaces. In addition, our company insiders owned over 59% equity in the company immediately prior to the offering, signaling a strong commitment and personal investment in the company.

Expansion into New Markets

While RV and marine applications currently drive revenue, Expion360 has plans to expand into the home energy market in the coming years. We are currently planning to launch the e360 Home Energy Storage system in 2024, providing customers a cost-effective and flexible energy storage system. Our e360 Home Energy Storage system is planned to target entry level customers with its modular design that will allow for DIY expansion. We see the vision of stored energy as a portable, moving concept, where stored energy can be transported from the home to other devices outside of it. Furthermore, Expion360 plans to file for IP protection for Expion360’s “Smart Talk” upon completion of development. “Smart Talk” is designed to allow multiple batteries in a bank to communicate as one and be linked to a network.

Strong Distribution Channels

Expion360 has sales relationships with many major RV and marine retailers and plans to use, what we believe is, a strong reputation in the lithium battery space to create an even stronger distribution channel. John Yozamp has used his decades of experience in the energy and RV industries to cultivate relationships with numerous retailers in the space. Expion360 has already established a sales relationships with Camping World, the largest RV retailer with sales representing around 25% of all new RV’s sold nationwide, as well as Electric World, Patrick Distribution, and NTP-STAG, a leading distributor of aftermarket RV parts.

Looking forward, Expion360 has a chance to further expand revenue in the first half of 2022. We have planned sales relationships with Meyer Distributing and Land ‘n Sea, which have combined annual revenues approaching $200 million. We also plan to begin sales relationships with Lewis Marine Supply, Northern Wholesale Supply, and Lorenz and Jones, which are large wholesalers of RV and boat parts, in 2022.

Product Section

The Company has the following products:

Competitors

Our competitors include Relion, which was acquired by Brunswick Corporation in September 2021, Battle Born Batteries and Dakota Lithium

Supply Chain

As the adoption and popularity of lithium ion batteries continues to increase, we are ever vigilante in studying the possible risks to our supply chain. Our current contract manufacturers that produce our cells have assured us a continued supply for at least the next 5 years. They are based in China, but also have joint venture factories outside of China, and have secured sourcing contracts from Lithium suppliers in South America and Australia.

The potential shortage of lithium has been a discussion in the news for over 10 years, but so far has been mostly speculative. In addition, lithium is used in a variety of different industries, which adds to the uncertainty of future demand, due to the fluctuations in those industries.

From 2010 until 2015, the price of lithium stayed fairly flat. In 2016 the price started to rise, fueled by the fear of material shortages. As a result of the higher prices, new mining operations that had been in development, came online and companies invested in more efficient extraction processes.  The increases in production, led to an oversupply of lithium in 2019 and a sharp drop in prices. The lithium prices in 2020 ended below the 2016 prices that started the uptick. As a result, several operations were halted because the mining operations were not as lucrative. These operations still remain viable and are expected to go back into swing production as the market price moves above their target.

In addition to increased mining and newly located reserves, there is also an industry push to provide more efficient ways to extract lithium from the mined ore. One example of this, that we are keeping a close eye on, is a new refining technology developed by EnergyX and currently in large scale testing. Their proprietary process reduces the average extraction time from 18 months to just a few days. It also increases the recovery rate from approximately 30% to over 90%. These technology advancements by EnergyX and several other companies in the industry, will help the global supply be more efficiently captured.

Another development of the past couple years is lithium cell recycling. This process will recapture the raw lithium from the cell, for reuse in future cells. There are three large projects currently underway or slated to start this year. The first recycling plant is scheduled to open in 2022. The ability to recover lithium from these discarded batteries, will provide an additional resource for many years to come.

The bigger issue for the EV market is not the supply of lithium for batteries, but instead the limited rare earth magnets that are required for the electrical motors used in those EV’s. Until suitable alternatives are developed, this will limit the growth of the EV market and their consumption of lithium. This will allow the newer lithium energy storage market to grow at an exponential rate, as seen in the last couple years.

The need for lithium reserves and other rare earth minerals has been an active topic of discussion in our government. Under the DOE, the National Energy Technology Laboratory is helping to manage the “Critical Minerals Sustainability Program”.

This program will not only focus on increasing the reserves of rare earth elements and critical minerals but will provide R&D resources to develop more efficient mining and extraction processes. These new processes will not only extract the rare earth elements but will also extract the critical minerals that are currently discarded as waste during some extraction processes. With governments around the world setting a priority for the increased efficiency to extract these materials, and to support companies that are a part of this global push, we should continue to see huge strides in the supply of lithium.

Facilities

Our corporate headquarters are in Redmond Oregon. This location houses our engineering, sales, accounting, and operations staff. It is also our primary product warehouse. Our headquarters is approximately 14,976 square feet at a cost of $17,971.20 per month. In Q1 of 2022 we added a second distribution warehouse in Elkhart Indiana to service and provide a stocking location for several large manufacturers in the area. Elkhart is the hub for 80% of all RV manufacturing in the United States. Other east coast customers will be supported from this location to reduce shipping times and costs to the customers. The square footage of this facility is approximately 7,000 square feet at a cost of $4,853.00 per month. As part of our onshoring agenda, we have also entered into an agreement to lease another facility in Redmond Oregon. This new facility will be used for our first battery pack assembly plant in the United States. Our current plan would be to have this plant operational and producing the first production parts by fourth quarter of 2022. The square footage of this facility is approximately 31,425 square feet at a cost of $31,425.00 per month.

Employees

As of December 31, 2021, we had 21 full-time employees. None of our employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements and we have never experienced an organized work stoppage, strike or labor dispute. We believe working conditions and compensation packages are competitive with those offered by competitors and consider our relations with our employees to be good.

Legal Proceedings

We are not currently engaged in any material legal proceedings.

OUR MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

Below is a list of the names, ages as of December 31, 2021, positions, and a brief account of business experience, of the individuals who serve as the executive officers and directors effective as of the pricing of the offering.

Executive Officers

John Yozamp—CEO and Chairman of the Board. John has been our CEO since inception in June 2016. John boasts over 30 years of sales and marketing experience, of which includes 24 years of product concept, development and manufacturing. John was recognized in the HDTV’s “Best New Idea” at the 2008 Chicago Hardware Show. In 2008, John supported the #1 item sold at the Sam’s club individual road show. Just prior to launching Expion360, John was founder, owner, and operator of the largest solar manufacturing company (Zamp solar) in the US focusing on the RV and off grid markets.  

Paul Shoun—Chief Operating Officer. Paul has been our COO since inception in June 2016. Paul brings over 30 years of engineering experience, with over 17 years managing a corporate consulting firm. He brings extensive expertise in Project management, product development, engineering leadership, business accounting, ERP/CRM system management, and product marketing. Notable clients include Chrysler, Boeing, Nike IHM, Intel, and Daimler Trucks North America.  

Brian Schaffner – Chief Financial Officer.  Brian has served as our Chief Financial Officer, beginning in March 2021. He is a seasoned executive having served over the past three decades in a variety of capacities including CEO, CFO, CIO and controller in senior-living, assisted-living skilled nursing facilities and retail stores. Brian’s educational instructional experience includes the secondary and university levels with courses including accounting, management, personal finance, welding, auto mechanics and aviation ground school. Brian graduated from Walla Walla College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting in 1992, and from the University of Phoenix with a Masters in Business Administration in 1997. 

Non-Employee Director Nominees

George Lefevre—Independent Director Nominee. George is a nominee to our board of directors Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, whose formal election will occur concurrent with the effectiveness of this registration statement. Mr. Lefevre is a business consultant focused on business development and structural guidance for companies. From 2009 through 2020, Mr. Lefevre was the founder of HAPA Capital, LLC. HAPA was a consulting firm specializing in bio-technology and frontier technology. From 2014 through 2015, Mr. Lefevre was the CEO of a startup company that completed a change in management effective June 26, 2014, and expanded into hemp and cannabidiol (“CBD”) industry. The expansion was focusing on the development, research, and commercialization of products derived from hemp and cannabis plants. From 1991 to 1998, Mr. Lefevre directly invested in and managed investment portfolios. Mr. Lefevre was also the President of GL Investment Group, a regional investment bank in Southern California where he was directly responsible for providing in excess of $500 million in funding to biotechnology and high-tech companies. Mr. Lefevre graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Finance.

Steven M. Shum—Independent Director Nominee. Steve is a nominee to our board of directors Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, whose formal election will occur concurrent with the effectiveness of this registration statement. Steve is the Chief Executive Officer of INVO Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq: INVO), a position he has held since October 10, 2019, and is also a director of INVO Bioscience, Inc., a position he has held since October 11, 2017. Previously, Mr. Shum was Interim Chief Executive Officer (from May 2019 to October 7, 2019) and Chief Financial Officer of Eastside Distilling (Nasdaq: ESDI) (from October 2015 to August 2019). Prior to joining Eastside, Mr. Shum served as an Officer and Director of XZERES Corp, a publicly-traded global renewable energy company, from October 2008 until April 2015 in various officer roles, including Chief Operating Officer from September 2014 until April 2015, Chief Financial Officer, Principal Accounting Officer and Secretary from April 2010 until September 2014 (under former name, Cascade Wind Corp) and Chief Executive Officer and President from October 2008 to August 2010. Mr. Shum also serves as the managing principal of Core Fund Management, LP and the Fund Manager of Core Fund, LP. He was a founder of Revere Data LLC (now part of Factset Research Systems, Inc.) and served as its Executive Vice President for four years, heading up the product development efforts and contributing to operations, business development, and sales. He spent six years as an investment research analyst and portfolio manager of D.N.B. Capital Management, Inc. His previous employers include Red Chip Review and Laughlin Group of Companies. He earned a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in General Management from Portland State University in 1992.

David Hendrickson—Independent Director. David is a nominee to our board of directors Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, whose formal election will occur concurrent with the effectiveness of this registration statement. David is an accomplished business advisor of publicly traded global corporations across many industries. He has an intimate understanding of effective corporate governance and how it affects a company’s valuation. He has served as Chief Executive Officer of DLH International since 2001. His focus includes board governance, organizational development, C-suite buildouts, strategic planning, compensation, marketing and Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) risk factors. Prior to founding DLH International, he was a Senior Partner and Board Member at Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc., in London, Paris, New York and Greenwich. He was a founding partner of the Firm’s Transnational Practice and a senior member of the Firm’s International Technology Practice.

David serves on the advisory board of a private liberal arts college and has served on private company boards. He served as an elected Board Member of the Rainforest Alliance, New York, NY, and the Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society (SIQSS), Stanford University. He is an active member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Board Committees

Our board of directors has established an audit committee, a compensation committee and a governance committee. Our board of directors may establish other committees to facilitate the management of our business. The composition and functions of each committee are described below. Members serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by our board of directors. Effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, each committee has adopted a written charter that satisfies the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, which is available on our website at www.expion360.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute part of this prospectus, and the inclusion of our website address in this prospectus is an inactive textual reference only. Investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to purchase our common stock.

Audit Committee

Our Audit Committee will consist of Messrs. Lefevre, Shum and Hendrickson, each of whom meet the requirements for independence under Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and regulations. Mr. Shum will be the chair of our Audit Committee and will be our “audit committee financial expert” as such term is defined under SEC rules and regulations. Our audit committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our Audit Committee will operate under a written charter to be effective prior to the consummation of this offering, which satisfies the requirements of applicable SEC rules and Nasdaq listing standards.

Compensation Committee

Our Compensation Committee will consist of Messrs. Lefevre, Shum and Hendrickson, each of whom meet the requirements for independence under the Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules and regulations. In addition, each member of our compensation committee is also a non-employee director, as defined pursuant to Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Mr. Hendrickson will be the chair of our Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our Compensation Committee will operate under a written charter to be effective prior to the consummation of this offering, which satisfies the requirements of applicable Nasdaq listing standards.

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consist of Messrs. Lefevre, Shum and Hendrickson, each of whom meets the requirements for independence under Nasdaq listing standards. Mr. Lefevre will be the chair of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for, among other things:

Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will operate under a written charter to be effective prior to the consummation of this offering, which satisfies the requirements of applicable Nasdaq listing standards.

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

Prior to the completion of this offering, our board of directors will adopt a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers, and employees, including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, and chief operational officer or persons performing similar functions. The code of business conduct and ethics will be available on the investor relations portion of our website at www.expion360.com upon the completion of this offering.

We intend to disclose future amendments to such code, or any waivers of its requirements, applicable to any chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief operations officer, or persons performing similar functions, or our directors, on our website identified above. The inclusion of our website address in this prospectus does not include or incorporate by reference the information on our website into this prospectus.

Upon the close of the offering, the composition of our Board Committees will be as follows:

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

No member of our Compensation Committee is currently, or has been at any time, one of our executive officers or employees. None of our executive officers currently serves, or has served during the last year, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving as a member of our board of directors or on our compensation committee.

EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 

The following is a discussion and analysis of compensation arrangements of our named executive officers (“NEOs”). This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are based on our current plan documents and considerations regarding possible future compensation programs. Actual compensation programs that we adopt may differ materially from currently planned programs as summarized in this discussion. As an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act, we are not required to include a Compensation Discussion and Analysis section and have elected to comply with the scaled disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies.

Executive Compensation Summary

This section describes our compensation program for our named executive officers (“NEOs”) for fiscal 2020 and 2021. Our named executive officers are:

The following table provides details with respect to the total compensation of our NEOs during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021. Our NEOs are (a) each person who served as our Chief Executive Officer during 2020 and 2021, (b) the next two most highly compensated executive officers serving as of December 31, 2020 and 2021 whose total compensation exceeded $100,000 and (c) any person who could have been included under (b) except for the fact that such persons were not an executive officer on December 31, 2020 or 2021.

2020 and 2021 Summary Compensation Table

Employment Agreements and Incentive Compensation

We have entered into employment agreements with our CEO and COO to reflect their current compensation arrangements and to include additional restrictive covenants, including a two-year non-competition provision (as permissible by applicable state law) and a two year no solicitation and no disparagement provision. The employment agreement for each of our CEO and COO provides for continuing at-will employment from the executive until the earlier of the termination of employment of the executive with the Company or the termination of the employment agreement. Under the terms of the employment agreements, each of these officers is entitled to a base salary per annum of $330,000 for our CEO and $260,000 for our COO, eligible for an annual bonuses to be granted by the Board or Compensation Committee based on performance objectives and targets established annually and may receive an annual salary increase commensurate with such officer’s performance during the year. Bonuses and salary increases are at the discretion and established by the Board of Directors. Our CEO and COO are also entitled to participate in the 2021 Incentive Award Plan and in any profit sharing, qualified and nonqualified retirement plans and any health, life, accident, disability insurance, vacation, paid time off, supplemental medical reimbursement insurance, or benefit plans or programs as we may choose to make available now or in the future. Our CEO and COO are also entitled to annual fringe benefits and perquisites and reimbursement for reasonable and necessary out-of-pocket business, entertainment, and travel expenses incurred in connection with the performance of their duties. In addition, the employment agreements contain provisions providing for severance payments (including up to 12 months of base salary) and continuation of benefits under certain circumstances including termination by us without cause (as defined in the employment agreement), upon execution of a general release of claims in favor of us. Each employment agreement also contains covenants relating to confidentiality and non-competition (as permissible by applicable state law).

Other than the employment agreements with our CEO and COO, we do not have employment agreements with our other executive officers.

Incentive Compensation Plans

The following summarizes the material terms of our Expion360 Inc. 2021 Incentive Award Plan (the “2021 Incentive Award Plan”) and our 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2021 ESPP”), which will be the long-term incentive compensation plans in which our directors and employees (including our NEOs) are eligible to participate following the consummation of this offering.

2021 Incentive Award Plan

We adopted the 2021 Incentive Award Plan to become effective on the date immediately prior to the date our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part became effective. The principal purpose of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan is to attract, retain and motivate select employees, consultants and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards and cash-based performance bonus awards. The material terms of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan are summarized below.

Share Reserve

Under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan 10% of the fully diluted shares of all classes of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately following the first date upon which our common stock is listed (or approved for listing) upon notice of issuance on any securities exchange or designated (or approved for designation) upon notice of issuance as a national market security on an interdealer quotation system will be initially reserved for issuance pursuant to a variety of stock-based compensation awards, including stock options, SARs, restricted stock awards, RSUs, performance bonus awards, performance stock unit awards, dividend equivalents or other stock- or cash-based awards. The number of shares initially reserved for issuance or transfer pursuant to awards under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan will be increased by an annual increase on January 1, 2022 and ending January 1, 2031, equal to the lesser of (A) 5% of the shares of all series of our common stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding year and (B) such smaller number of shares of stock as determined by our board of directors; provided, however, that no more than 1,000,000 shares of stock may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options (“ISOs”), as adjusted for any equity restructuring.

The following counting provisions will be in effect for the share reserve under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan:

In addition, the sum of the grant date fair value of all equity-based awards and the maximum that may become payable pursuant to all cash-based awards to any individual for services as a non-employee director during any calendar year may not exceed $1,000,000.

Administration

The compensation committee of our board of directors is expected to administer the 2021 Incentive Award Plan unless our board of directors assumes authority for administration. The board of directors may delegate its powers to a committee, which, to the extent required to comply with Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (“Rule 16b-3”), is intended to be comprised of “non-employee directors” for purposes of Rule 16b-3. The 2021 Incentive Award Plan provides that the board of directors or compensation committee may delegate its authority to grant awards other than to individuals subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act or to officers or directors to whom authority to grant awards has been delegated.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan, the administrator has the authority to select the persons to whom awards are to be made, to determine the number of shares to be subject to awards and the terms and conditions of awards, and to make all other determinations and to take all other actions necessary or advisable for the administration of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan. The administrator is also authorized to adopt, amend or rescind rules relating to the administration of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan. Our board of directors may at any time remove the compensation committee as the administrator and revest in itself the authority to administer the 2021 Incentive Award Plan.

Eligibility

Awards under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan may be granted to individuals who are then our officers, employees or consultants or are the officers, employees or consultants of certain of our future subsidiaries. Such awards also may be granted to our directors. However, only employees of the Company or certain of the Company’s future subsidiaries may be granted incentive stock options.

Awards

The 2021 Incentive Award Plan provides that the administrator may grant or issue stock options, SARs, restricted stock, RSUs, performance bonus awards, performance stock units, other stock- or cash-based awards and dividend equivalents, or any combination thereof. Each award will be set forth in a separate agreement with the person receiving the award and will indicate the type, terms and conditions of the award.

Any award may be granted as a performance award, meaning that the award will be subject to vesting and/or payment based on the attainment of specified performance goals.

Adjustments of Awards

The administrator has broad discretion to take action under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan, as well as make adjustments to the terms and conditions of existing and future awards, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of intended benefits and facilitate necessary or desirable changes in the event of certain transactions and events affecting our common stock, such as stock dividends, stock splits, mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and other corporate transactions. In addition, in the event of certain non-reciprocal transactions with our stockholders known as “equity restructurings,” the administrator will make equitable adjustments to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan and outstanding awards.

Change in Control

In the event of a change in control, unless the administrator elects to terminate an award in exchange for cash, rights or other property, or cause an award to accelerate in full prior to the change in control, such award will continue in effect or be assumed or substituted by the acquirer, provided that any performance-based portion of the award will be subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable award agreement. In the event the acquirer refuses to assume or replace awards granted, prior to the consummation of such transaction, awards issued under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan (other than any portion subject to performance-based vesting) will be subject to accelerated vesting such that 100% of such awards will become vested and exercisable or payable, as applicable. The administrator may also make appropriate adjustments to awards under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan and is authorized to provide for the acceleration, cash-out, termination, assumption, substitution or conversion of such awards in the event of a change in control or certain other unusual or nonrecurring events or transactions.

Amendment and Termination

The administrator may terminate, amend or modify the 2021 Incentive Award Plan at any time and from time to time. However, we must generally obtain stockholder approval to the extent required by applicable law, rule or regulation (including any applicable stock exchange rule), and generally no amendment may materially and adversely affect any outstanding award without the affected participant’s consent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an option may be amended to reduce the per share exercise price below the per share exercise price of such option on the grant date and options may be granted in exchange for, or in connection with, the cancellation or surrender of options having a higher per share exercise price without receiving additional stockholder approval.

No ISOs may be granted pursuant to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan after the tenth anniversary of the effective date of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan, and no additional annual share increases to the 2021 Incentive Award Plan’s aggregate share limit will occur from and after such anniversary. Any award that is outstanding on the termination date of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan will remain in force according to the terms of the 2021 Incentive Award Plan and the applicable award agreement.

2021 ESPP

We adopted the 2021 ESPP effective on the date immediately prior to the date our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part became effective. The 2021 ESPP is designed to allow our eligible employees to purchase shares of our common stock, at periodic intervals, with their accumulated payroll deductions. The 2021 ESPP consists of two components: a Section 423 component, which is intended to qualify under Section 423 of the Code and a non-Section 423 component, which need not qualify under Section 423 of the Code. The material terms are summarized below.

Administration

Subject to the terms and conditions of the 2021 ESPP, our compensation committee will administer the 2021 ESPP. Our compensation committee can delegate administrative tasks under the 2021 ESPP to the services of an agent and/or employees to assist in the administration of the 2021 ESPP. The administrator will have the discretionary authority to administer and interpret the ESPP. Interpretations and constructions of the administrator of any provision of the 2021 ESPP or of any rights thereunder will be conclusive and binding on all persons. We will bear all expenses and liabilities incurred by the administrator.

Share Reserve

The number of shares initially reserved for issuance or transfer pursuant to awards under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan will be increased by an annual increase on January 1, 2022 and ending January 1, 2031, equal to the lesser of (A) 1% of the shares of all series of our common stock outstanding on the last day of the immediately preceding year and (B) such smaller number of shares of stock as determined by our board of directors; provided, however, that no more than 2,500,000 shares of stock may be issued upon the exercise of incentive stock options (“ISOs”).

Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, the number of shares of Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan but not yet placed under option, as well as the price per share and the number of shares of common stock covered by each option under the 2021 Incentive Award Plan which has not yet been exercised shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of common stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of the common stock, or any other increase or decrease in the number of shares of common stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been “effected without receipt of consideration.” Such adjustment shall be made by the administrator, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive.

Eligibility

Employees eligible to participate in the 2021 ESPP for a given offering period generally include employees who have been employed by us or one of our future subsidiaries for a specified period of time prior to the first day of the offering period, or the enrollment date. Our employees (and, if applicable, any employees of our future subsidiaries) who customarily work less than five months in a calendar year or are customarily scheduled to work less than 20 hours per week will not be eligible to participate in the 2021 ESPP. Finally, an employee who owns (or is deemed to own through attribution) 5% or more of the combined voting power or value of all our classes of stock or of one of our future subsidiaries will not be allowed to participate in the 2021 ESPP.

Effectiveness

We adopted the 2021 ESPP to become effective on the date immediately prior to the date our registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part became effective.

Participation

Employees will enroll under the 2021 ESPP by completing a payroll deduction form permitting the deduction from their compensation of at least 1% of their compensation but not more than 15% of their compensation. Such payroll deductions will be expressed as a whole number percentage, and the accumulated deductions will be applied to the purchase of shares on each purchase date. However, a participant may not purchase more 100,000 shares in each purchase period and, under the Section 423 component, may not accrue the right to purchase shares of common stock at a rate that exceeds $25,000 in fair market value of shares of our common stock (determined at the time the option is granted) for each calendar year the option is outstanding (as determined in accordance with Section 423 of the Code). The administrator has the authority to change the per purchase period limitation for any subsequent offering period.

Offering

Under the 2021 ESPP, participants are offered the option to purchase shares of our common stock at a discount during a series of offering periods, which may be comprised of multiple purchase periods. The administrator may determine the duration and timing of offering periods in its discretion. However, in no event may an offering period be longer than 27 months in length.

The option purchase price will be the lower of 85% of the closing trading price per share of our common stock on the first day of an offering period in which a participant is enrolled or 85% of the closing trading price per share on the purchase date, which will occur on the last day of each purchase period.

Unless a participant has previously canceled his or her participation in the 2021 ESPP before the purchase date, the participant will be deemed to have exercised his or her option in full as of each purchase date. Upon exercise, the participant will purchase the number of whole shares that his or her accumulated payroll deductions will buy at the option purchase price, subject to the participation limitations listed above.

A participant may cancel his or her payroll deduction authorization at any time prior to the end of the offering period. Upon cancellation, the participant will receive a refund of the participant’s account balance in cash without interest. Following at least one payroll deduction, a participant may also decrease (but not increase) his or her payroll deduction authorization once during any purchase period. If a participant wants to increase or decrease the rate of payroll withholding, he or she may do so effective for the next offering period by submitting a new form before the offering period for which such change is to be effective.

Amendment and Termination

Our board of directors may amend, suspend or terminate the 2021 ESPP at any time. However, the board of directors may not amend the 2021 ESPP without obtaining stockholder approval within twelve months before or after such amendment to the extent required by applicable laws.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested in 2021 and 2020

During 2021 and 2020, there were no option exercises and no vesting of options for any of our named executive officers or senior management employees.

Compensation of Non-Executive Directors

As the appointment of each of our non-executive directors is conditional upon completion of the offering, they had not received any compensation from us immediately prior to the offering.

Director Compensation Arrangements

Our Board of Directors are not remunerated for their services as directors, other than being reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with rendering such services.

The independent members of the Board of Directors will each be compensated for their services as directors either through a grant of 12,000 stock option and cash compensation of $55,000 per year or with 30,000 stock options per year. The exercise price per share of the stock options will be equal to the initial public offering price.

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS AND CERTAIN CONTROL PERSONS

We have adopted a Related Party Transaction policy effective January 1, 2022, setting forth the policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related-person transactions. This policy will cover, with certain exceptions set forth in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which we were or are to be a participant, where the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including, without limitation, purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness and employment by us of a related person. In reviewing and approving any such transactions, our audit committee is tasked to consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in an arm’s length transaction and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction. All of the transactions described in this section occurred prior to the adoption of this policy.

As of January 1, 2020, the Company had an outstanding principal balance of $250,000 under an unsecured promissory note owed to John Yozamp, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO (the “CEO Note”). The CEO Note was converted into a convertible debenture in May 2021 which was subsequently converted into 236,498 shares of our common stock on October 29, 2021.

As of January 1, 2020, the Company had an outstanding principal balance of $262,500 under an unsecured promissory note owed to James Yozamp, a holder of approximately 12.9% of our outstanding capital stock as of December 31, 2021, and brother to John Yozamp, our CEO and Chairman of our Board, (the “James Yozamp Note”), which remained outstanding immediately prior to this offering. The James Yozamp Note requires monthly interest only payments at 10% per annum. The James Yozamp Note matures on December 31, 2024.

On May 21, 2021, in exchange for his $20,000 investment, the Company issued a convertible debenture in principal amount of $20,000 to Paul Shoun, our COO (the “COO Debenture”), which was converted into 17,325 shares of our common stock on October 29, 2021.

As we had not adopted our Related Party Transaction policy prior to the date of the issuances, the issuances of the CEO Note, the James Yozamp Note and the COO Debenture, and the conversions of the CEO Note into a debenture and subsequently into shares, and the COO Debenture into shares, were not approved in accordance with our Related Party Transaction policy.

TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PERSONS, PROMOTERS AND CERTAIN CONTROL PERSONS

We have adopted a Related Party Transaction policy effective January 1, 2022, setting forth the policies and procedures for the review and approval or ratification of related-person transactions. This policy will cover, with certain exceptions set forth in Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Securities Act, any transaction, arrangement or relationship, or any series of similar transactions, arrangements or relationships in which we were or are to be a participant, where the amount involved exceeds $120,000 and a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest, including, without limitation, purchases of goods or services by or from the related person or entities in which the related person has a material interest, indebtedness, guarantees of indebtedness and employment by us of a related person. In reviewing and approving any such transactions, our audit committee is tasked to consider all relevant facts and circumstances, including, but not limited to, whether the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in an arm’s length transaction and the extent of the related person’s interest in the transaction. All of the transactions described in this section occurred prior to the adoption of this policy.

As of January 1, 2020, the Company had an outstanding principal balance of $250,000 under an unsecured promissory note owed to John Yozamp, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO (the “CEO Note”). The CEO Note was converted into a convertible debenture in May 2021 which was subsequently converted into 236,498 shares of our common stock on October 29, 2021.

As of January 1, 2020, the Company had an outstanding principal balance of $262,500 under an unsecured promissory note owed to James Yozamp, a holder of approximately 12.9% of our outstanding capital stock as of December 31, 2021, and brother to John Yozamp, our CEO and Chairman of our Board, (the “James Yozamp Note”), which remained outstanding immediately prior to this offering. The James Yozamp Note requires monthly interest only payments at 10% per annum. The James Yozamp Note matures on December 31, 2024.

On May 21, 2021, in exchange for his $20,000 investment, the Company issued a convertible debenture in principal amount of $20,000 to Paul Shoun, our COO (the “COO Debenture”), which was converted into 17,325 shares of our common stock on October 29, 2021.

As we had not adopted our Related Party Transaction policy prior to the date of the issuances, the issuances of the CEO Note, the James Yozamp Note and the COO Debenture, and the conversions of the CEO Note into a debenture and subsequently into shares, and the COO Debenture into shares, were not approved in accordance with our Related Party Transaction policy.

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

Based solely upon information made available to us, the following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of December 31, 2021, as to (1) each person (or group of affiliated persons) who is known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of our common stock; (2) each of our directors; (3) each named executive officer; and (4) all directors and executive officers of the Company as a group.

We believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned by them, except as noted. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each stockholder listed in the table is c/o Expion360, 2025 SW Deerhound Avenue, Redmond, OR 97756.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with SEC rules and includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. All shares of common stock subject to options or warrants exercisable within 60 days of December 31, 2021, are deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned by the persons holding those options or warrants for the purpose of computing the number of shares beneficially owned and the percentage ownership of that person. They are not, however, deemed to be outstanding and beneficially owned for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

Subject to the paragraph above, percentage ownership of outstanding shares is based on 4,300,000 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2021.

*  Based on the 4,300,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the offering

We believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned by them, except as noted. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each stockholder listed in the table is c/o Expion360, 2025 SW Deerhound Avenue, Redmond, Oregon 97756.

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

The following descriptions are summaries of the material terms of our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. The descriptions of the common stock and preferred stock give effect to changes to our capital structure that will occur immediately prior to the completion of this offering.

General

Our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share.

Immediately prior to this offering, 4,300,000 shares of our common stock on a pro forma basis were issued and outstanding.

Common Stock

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our common stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding preferred stock. Our common stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions. We currently do not have any shares of, or securities convertible into, preferred stock outstanding.

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock.

Warrants

Outstanding Warrants

Immediately prior to this offering, we had outstanding warrants to purchase up to 710,431 shares of common stock, of those warrants, warrants to purchase 151,000 of the shares had an exercise price of $2.90 per share and warrants to purchase the remaining 559,431 shares had an exercise price of $3.32 per share.

Options

Outstanding Options

Immediately prior to this offering, we had outstanding options to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock granted to one individual which had an exercise price of $3.32.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Our Charter Documents

The provisions of Nevada law and our Bylaws may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing another party from acquiring control of the company. These provisions may discourage and prevent coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids.

Nevada Law

Nevada law contains a provision governing “acquisition of controlling interest.” This law provides generally that any person or entity that acquires 20% or more of the outstanding voting shares of a publicly-held Nevada corporation in the secondary public or private market may be denied voting rights with respect to the acquired shares, unless a majority of the disinterested stockholders of the corporation elects to restore such voting rights in whole or in part. The control share acquisition act provides that a person or entity acquires “control shares” whenever it acquires shares that, but for the operation of the control share acquisition act, would bring its voting power within any of the following three ranges: 20 to 33-1/3%; 33-1/3 to 50%; or more than 50%.

Our Articles of Incorporation include a mandatory forum provision that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Nevada Eighth Judicial District of Clark County Nevada shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought in the name or right of the Company or on its behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim for breach of any fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Company to the Company or the Company's stockholders, (c) any action arising or asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of NRS Chapters 78 or 92Aor any provision of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, (d) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws or (e) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. To the extent that any such claims may be based upon federal law claims, Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Furthermore, Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder and would preempt the choice of forum provisions in our Articles of Incorporation with respect to such matters.

A “control share acquisition” is generally defined as the direct or indirect acquisition of either ownership or voting power associated with issued and outstanding control shares. The stockholders or Board of Directors of a corporation may elect to exempt the stock of the corporation from the provisions of the control share acquisition act through adoption of a provision to that effect in the articles of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation. Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws do not exempt our common stock from the control share acquisition act.

The control share acquisition act is applicable only to shares of “Issuing Corporations” as defined by the Nevada law. An Issuing Corporation is a Nevada corporation which (i) has 200 or more stockholders, with at least 100 of such stockholders being both stockholders of record and residents of Nevada, and (ii) does business in Nevada directly or through an affiliated corporation.

At this time, we do not believe we have 100 stockholders of record resident of Nevada and we do not conduct business in Nevada directly. Therefore, the provisions of the control share acquisition act are believed not to apply to acquisitions of our shares and will not until such time as these requirements have been met. At such time as they may apply, the provisions of the control share acquisition act may discourage companies or persons interested in acquiring a significant interest in or control of us, regardless of whether such acquisition may be in the interest of our stockholders.

The Nevada “Combination with Interested Stockholders Statute” may also have an effect of delaying or making it more difficult to effect a change in control of us. This statute prevents an “interested stockholder” and a resident domestic Nevada corporation from entering into a “combination,” unless certain conditions are met. The statute defines “combination” to include any merger or consolidation with an “interested stockholder,” or any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions with an “interested stockholder” having (i) an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of the assets of the corporation, (ii) an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of all outstanding shares of the corporation, or (iii) representing 10% or more of the earning power or net income of the corporation.

An “interested stockholder” means the beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting shares of a resident domestic corporation, or an affiliate or associate thereof. A corporation affected by the statute may not engage in a “combination” within three years after the interested stockholder acquires its shares unless the combination or purchase is approved by the Board of Directors before the interested stockholder acquired such shares. If approval is not obtained, then after the expiration of the three-year period, the business combination may be consummated with the approval of the Board of Directors or a majority of the voting power held by disinterested stockholders, or if the consideration to be paid by the interested stockholder is at least equal to the highest of (i) the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder within the three years immediately preceding the date of the announcement of the combination or in the transaction in which he became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher, (ii) the market value per common share on the date of announcement of the combination or the date the interested stockholder acquired the shares, whichever is higher, or (iii) if higher for the holders of preferred stock, the highest liquidation value of the preferred stock.

Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our Articles of Incorporation are silent as to cumulative voting rights in the election of our directors. Nevada law requires the existence of cumulative voting rights to be provided for by a corporation’s Articles of Incorporation. In the event that a few stockholders end up owning a significant portion of our issued and outstanding common stock, the lack of cumulative voting would make it more difficult for other stockholders to replace our Board of Directors or for a third party to obtain control of us by replacing our Board of Directors. Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws do not contain any explicit provisions that would have an effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of us.

Registration Rights

In November 2021, the Company issued senior secured promissory notes in aggregate principal amount of $1,600,000. The notes included detachable warrants to purchase 559,431 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $3.32 per share. The warrants are exercisable for a period of 10 years from date of grant. The related subscription agreement included an obligation by the Company to register the shares underlying these warrants upon the Company’s initial public offering. We expect to register the shares underlying these warrants by filing a separate registration statement with the SEC substantially concurrently with this offering.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common shares is Pacific Stock Transfer Company. Pacific Stock Transfer Company’s address and phone number is: 6725 Via Austi Pkwy, Suite 300, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119; telephone number (800) 785-7782.

Listing

We have applied to list our common stock on Nasdaq under the symbol “XPON” and have received conditional approval from Nasdaq for our common stock to commence trading following the initial closing of this offering if we have satisfied the initial listing requirements of Nasdaq. No assurance can be given that we will meet those requirements. The offering is conditional upon the listing of our common stock on Nasdaq. We expect that our common stock will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement.

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Before our initial public offering, there has not been a public market for our securities. Future sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock or securities convertible into our common stock, including shares issued upon the exercise of outstanding options or warrants, in the public market after our initial public offering, or the possibility of these sales occurring, could cause the prevailing market price for our common stock to fall or impair our ability to raise equity capital in the future.

After our initial public offering, we will have outstanding 6,445,000 shares of our common stock, based on the number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2021. This includes 2,145,000 shares that we are selling in our initial public offering, which shares may be resold in the public market immediately following our initial public offering, and assumes no additional exercise of outstanding options or warrants.

As a result of the lock-up agreements and market standoff provisions described below and subject to the provisions of Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act, these restricted securities will be available for sale in the public market as follows:

UNDERWRITING

Paulson Investment Company LLC and Alexander Capital, LP are acting as the representatives of the underwriters of this offering. Under the terms of an underwriting agreement, which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each of the underwriters named below has severally agreed to purchase from us the respective number of shares of common stock shown opposite its name below:

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters’ obligation to purchase Shares depends on the satisfaction of the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement including:

Commissions and Expenses

The following table shows the public offering price, underwriting discount and proceeds, before expenses, to us. The information assumes either no exercise or full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option.

The underwriters propose to offer the Shares directly to the public at the public offering price on the cover of this prospectus and to selected dealers, which may include the underwriters, at such offering price less a selling concession not in excess of $____ per share.

The expenses of this offering that are payable by us are estimated to be approximately $_______ (which excludes estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and the non-accountable expense allowance payable to the underwriters). We will be responsible for all of the underwriters expenses related to this offering, including filing fees and communication expenses for the registration of the shares, all filing fees associated with the review of this offering by FINRA, fees and expenses relating to the listing of the shares of common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market, fees relating to background checks (up to a maximum of $7,500), fees relating to the registration, qualification or exemptions of the shares under securities laws of foreign jurisdictions, cost of making and printing the underwriting documents, cost and expenses of a public relations firm, cost of preparing, printing and delivering stock certificates, fees and expenses of the transfer agent, stock transfer and/or stamp taxes, if any, payable upon transfer of securities from the Company to the underwriters, costs associated with post-closing advertising of the offering in the national editions of the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, the costs associated with one set of bound volumes of the public offering materials as well as commemorative mementos and lucite tombstones, fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and fees and expenses of our legal counsel, road show expenses for this offering, and fees and expenses of the underwriters legal counsel. The maximum amount of fees, costs and expenses incurred by the underwriters that we shall be responsible for may not exceed $175,000. We have also agreed to pay the representative a non-accountable expense fee equal to $25,000.

Option to Purchase Additional Securities

We have granted the underwriters an option exercisable for 45 days after the date of this prospectus, to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of 321,750 shares of common stock (15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering) from us in any combination thereof to cover over allotments, if any, at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions and the non-accountable expense allowance payable to the underwriters. To the extent that this option is exercised, each underwriter will be obligated, subject to certain conditions, to purchase its pro rata portion of these additional shares or Warrants based on the underwriter’s percentage underwriting commitment in this offering as indicated in the table at the beginning of this Underwriting Section.

Lock-Up Agreements

All of our directors, executive officers and certain of our shareholders have agreed that, for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus and subject to certain limited exceptions, we and they will not, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of Paulson Investment Company LLC (i) offer for sale, sell, pledge, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction or device that is designed to, or could be expected to, result in the disposition by any person at any time in the future of) any shares of common stock (including, without limitation, shares of common stock that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by us or them in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and shares of common stock that may be issued upon exercise of any options or warrants) or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock, (ii) enter into any swap or other derivatives transaction that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic benefits or risks of ownership of shares of common stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise, (iii) make any demand for or exercise any right or file or cause to be filed a registration statement, including any amendments thereto, with respect to the registration of any shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for common stock or any of our other securities, (iv) engage in any short selling of common stock or (v) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing.

Paulson Investment Company LLC, in its sole discretion, may release the common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time. When determining whether or not to release common stock and other securities from lock-up agreements, Paulson Investment Company LLC will consider, among other factors, the holder’s reasons for requesting the release, the number of shares of common stock and other securities for which the release is being requested and market conditions at the time.

We also agreed pursuant to that lock-up agreement that, without the prior written consent of the representatives, we will not, during the restricted period (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our capital stock (other than the shares sold in this offering and common stock issued pursuant to employee benefit plans, qualified stock option plans or other employee compensation plans existing prior to this offering or pursuant to currently outstanding options, warrants or rights) provided that either (a) such shares shall not vest during the restricted period or (b) the grantee of such shares will execute a lock-up agreement; (ii) file or cause to be filed any registration statement with the SEC relating to the offering of any shares of our capital stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our capital stock other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or S-8; or (iii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of our capital stock, whether any such transaction described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of our capital stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise.

The restrictions contained in the preceding paragraph do not apply to (i) the securities to be sold in connection with this offering, (ii) the issuance of shares of common stock upon the exercise of a stock option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding prior to this offering, (iii) the issuance of any security under any equity compensation plan, (iv) the issuance of shares of common stock in the connection with mergers, acquisitions or joint ventures, (v) the issuance of shares of common stock to consultants in our ordinary course of business and not for capital raising transactions and (vi) the issuance of shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock at a price per share greater than $[●] per share.

Underwriters’ Warrants

We have also agreed to issue to the underwriters or their designees at the closing of this offering, warrants (the “Underwriters’ Warrants”) to purchase an aggregate of 128,700 shares of common stock (6% of the number of shares sold in the offering, excluding the over-allotment option). The Underwriters’ Warrants will be exercisable at any time and from time to time, in whole or in part, during a period commencing six months from the effective date of this offering and expiring five years from the effective date of the offering. The Underwriters’ Warrants will be exercisable at a price equal to 130% of the public offering price per share of common stock and such warrants shall be exercisable on a cash basis, provided that if a registration statement registering the common stock underlying the Underwriters’ Warrants is not effective, the Underwriters’ Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis. The Underwriters’ Warrants and any shares issued upon exercise of the Underwriters’ Warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are, therefore, subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA. The underwriters or their permitted assignees under this Rule 5110(g)(1) shall not sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate the Underwriters’ Warrants or any shares issued upon exercise of the Underwriters’ Warrants, nor engage in any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the Underwriters’ Warrants and any shares issued upon exercise of the Underwriters’ Warrants, for a period of 180 days from the effective date of the offering, except that they may be assigned, in whole or in part, as specifically set forth in the underwriting agreement. The Underwriters’ Warrants will provide for customary anti-dilution provisions (for stock dividends, splits and recapitalizations and the like) consistent with FINRA Rule 5110, and the number of shares underlying the Underwriters’ Warrants shall be reduced, or the exercise price increased, if necessary, to comply with FINRA rules or regulations. Further, the Underwriters’ Warrants will provide for a one-time demand registration right exercisable for a duration of five years from the effective date of this offering and unlimited piggyback rights exercisable for a duration of two years from the initial exercise of the warrant. The Underwriters’ Warrants and underlying shares are included in this prospectus.  

Right of First Refusal

We granted the representative a right of first refusal to act as sole and exclusive underwriter, bookrunner, and placement agent for any and all future equity, equity-issued or debt offerings for the 36 month period following closing of this offering.

Offering Price Determination

The actual offering price of the Shares we are offering will be negotiated between us and the underwriters based upon, among other things, the trading of our shares prior to the offering.

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make for these liabilities.

Stabilization, Short Positions and Penalty Bids

The underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, short sales and purchases to cover positions created by short sales, and penalty bids or purchases for the purpose of pegging, fixing or maintaining the price of the common stock, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act:

These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock. As a result, the price of the common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on The Nasdaq Capital Market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

Neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the common stock. In addition, neither we nor any of the underwriters make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these stabilizing transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Electronic Distribution

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters and/or selling group members participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter or selling group member, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of shares for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations.

Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s or selling group member’s web site and any information contained in any other web site maintained by an underwriter or selling group member is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter or selling group member in its capacity as underwriter or selling group member and should not be relied upon by investors.

Listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market

We have filed an application to have our common stock listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “XPON” and have received conditional approval from Nasdaq for our common stock to commence trading following the initial closing of this offering if we have satisfied the initial listing requirements of Nasdaq. No assurance can be given that we will meet those requirements. If our common stock is not approved for filing on NASDAQ, we will not consummate this offering.

Discretionary Sales

The underwriters have informed us that they do not expect to sell more than 5% of the common stock in the aggregate to accounts over which they exercise discretionary authority.

Other Relationships

In November 2021, an entity owned by the spouse of an employee of the underwriter served as an advisor for our secured note financing for which we paid them fees of $200,000 in cash and warrants to purchase 28,936 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $3.32 per share. Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates for which they may in the future receive customary fees.

Selling Restrictions

Other than in the United States, no action has been taken by us or the underwriters that would permit a public offering of the securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required. The securities offered by this prospectus may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material or advertisements in connection with the offer and sale of any such securities be distributed or published in any jurisdiction, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of that jurisdiction. Persons into whose possession this prospectus comes are advised to inform themselves about and to observe any restrictions relating to the offering and the distribution of this prospectus. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities offered by this prospectus in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or a solicitation is unlawful.

Notice to prospective investors in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom (each a “Relevant State”), no shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of shares may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

provided that no such offer of shares shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any shares or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and us that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. In the case of any shares being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the shares acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of any shares to the public other than their offer or resale in a Relevant State to qualified investors as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters have been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to shares in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

Notice to prospective investors in the United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the shares in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.

Notice to prospective investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (the “SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of, and has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (the “FINMA”), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (the “CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

Notice to prospective investors in France

This prospectus (including any amendment, supplement or replacement thereto) is not being distributed in the context of a public offering in France within the meaning of Article L. 411-1 of the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier). This prospectus has not been and will not be submitted to the French Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”) for approval in France and accordingly may not and will not be distributed to the public in France.

Pursuant to Article 211-3 of the AMF General Regulation, French residents are hereby informed that:

This prospectus is not to be further distributed or reproduced (in whole or in part) in France by the recipients of this prospectus. This prospectus has been distributed on the understanding that such recipients will only participate in the issue or sale of our common stock for their own account and undertake not to transfer, directly or indirectly, our common stock to the public in France, other than in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and in particular with Articles L. 411-1 and L. 411-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Germany

Our common stock may be offered and sold in the Federal Republic of Germany only in compliance with the Prospectus Regulation, the Commission Delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/979 and (EU) 2019/980, each as of March 14, 2019 and the German Securities Prospectus Act (Wertpapierprospektgesetz), as amended, or any other laws applicable in Germany governing the issue, offering and sale of securities. This prospectus has not been approved under the Prospectus Regulation and, accordingly, our common stock may not be offered publicly in the Federal Republic of Germany. Our common stock will only be offered in the Federal Republic of Germany in reliance on an exemption from the requirement to publish an approved securities prospectus under the Prospectus Regulation. Any resale of our common stock in Germany may only be made in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation and other applicable laws.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The shares have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) (the “SFO”) of Hong Kong and any rules made thereunder; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong) (the “CO”) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the CO. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in China

This prospectus will not be circulated or distributed in the PRC and the shares will not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any residents of the PRC except pursuant to any applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. Neither this prospectus nor any advertisement or other offering material may be distributed or published in the PRC, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

MARKET PRICE AND DIVIDENDS

Market for Common Stock

Prior to this offering, there has been no market for our common stock. Future sales of substantial amounts of our common stock, or securities or instruments convertible into shares of our common stock, in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock prevailing from time to time. Furthermore, because there will be limits on the number of shares available for resale shortly after the offering concludes, due to the contractual and legal restrictions described below, there may be resales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after those restrictions lapse. This could adversely affect the market price of our common stock prevailing at that time.

Upon the completion of the offering, a total of 6,445,000 shares of our common stock 6,766,750 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares in full) will be outstanding. This number excludes any issuance of an aggregate of additional shares of common stock that could occur in connection with the conversion of our outstanding convertible warrants. 

All shares of common stock sold in this offering by us will be freely tradable in the public market without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, unless these shares are held by “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Shares of our common stock not sold in this offering are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 and would be tradable only if they are sold pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, or if they qualify for an exemption from registration, including under Rule 144.

Holders of Common Stock

Immediately prior to this offering, 4,300,000 shares of our common stock were outstanding.

Warrants and Stock Options

Immediately prior to this offering, we had outstanding warrants to purchase up to 710,431 shares of common stock, of those warrants, warrants to purchase 151,000 of the shares had an exercise price of $2.90 per share and warrants to purchase the remaining 559,431 shares had an exercise price of $3.32 per share. Immediately prior to this offering, we had outstanding options to purchase 30,000 shares of common stock granted to one individual which had an exercise price of $3.32.

Dividend Policy

We have never declared nor paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.  Any future determination regarding the payment of cash dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant at that time.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

No securities were issued and outstanding under our equity compensation plans immediately prior to the offering as the adoption of these plans is contingent upon the completion of the offering.

EXPERTS

The Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 appearing elsewhere in this prospectus have been included herein in reliance upon the report of M&K CPAS PLLC, an independent registered public accounting firm, appearing elsewhere herein, and upon the authority of M&K CPAS PLLC as experts in accounting and auditing.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Rowland Day of Bigfork, Montana and Parr Brown Gee & Loveless, PC, Salt Lake City, Utah. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549, under the Securities Act of 1933, a registration statement on Form S-1 relating to the shares offered hereby. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules thereto. For further information with respect to our Company and the shares we are offering by this prospectus you should refer to the registration statement, including the exhibits and schedules thereto. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement and other materials that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission without charge at the Public Reference Section of the Securities and Exchange Commission at 100 F Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20549 on official business days during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the Securities and Exchange Commission at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s World Wide Web address is http://www.sec.gov.

We file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with requirements of the Exchange Act. These periodic reports, proxy statements and other information are available for inspection and copying at the regional offices, public reference facilities and Internet site of the Securities and Exchange Commission referred to above. In addition, you may request a copy of any of our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Expion360 Inc. 

2025 SW Deerhound Avenue 

Redmond, OR 97756 

(541) 797-6714

Our Internet address is https://expion360.com/. There we make available free of charge, on or through the investor relations section of our website, the reports and other information that we file with the SEC. Information contained on our website is not a prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus and investors should not rely on any such information in deciding whether to invest.

No dealer, salesperson or other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus in connection with the offering made by this prospectus, and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than those specifically offered hereby or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation. Except where otherwise indicated, this prospectus speaks as of the date hereof. Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale hereunder shall under any circumstances create any implication that there has been no change in the affairs of the Company since the date hereof.

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and
Stockholders of Expion360 Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Expion360 Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the two-year period ended December 30, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Going Concern

The accompanying financial states have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 2 to the financial statements, the Company sustained recurring losses and negative cash flows from operations, which raises substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans regarding those matters are also described in Note 2. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matters

The critical audit matters communicated below are matters arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that were communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relate to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgements. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matters below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matters or on the accounts or disclosures to which they relate.

Convertible Notes Payable

As discussed in note 10, the Company received proceeds in exchange of convertible notes with warrants during the year. In anticipation of conversion from an LLC to a C corporation, the notes and warrants were modified and the debt was settled.

Auditing management’s evaluation of a gain or loss on debt extinguishment used significant judgement.

To evaluate the appropriateness and accuracy of the assessment by management, we evaluated management’s assessment in relationship to the relevant support.